T-Head, I'm still trying to put a name to the face in the first photo. Also having trouble attaining info for some of the smaller races from the early teens. As to the photo at the beach, there was a race in 1910 at Old Orchard Beach which is in Jacksonville, Florida but the only mention of a Mercer was at the 1911 running of the same race. Most of the Mercer racers passed into private hands after 1916 and probably earlier for the raceabouts. I checked some pics i have from the 1920 races at Daytona Beach but found nothing resembling the 'Bluebird'. Again, results are hard to come by unless you feel like searching the newpaper archives. Most of the guys here love investigative work and the Mercer seems to be a favorite amongst many. Somebody will post something in regards to the photos. Kurtis.
Does anyone have more info/pics of this car? I'd love to find out more abour it and get a better look at the shape of the tail. It looks a good bit like the "Baby Chevrolet", but there are differences. Thanks!
easiest way to date the picture would be by the tires, by perchance "AJAX CORDS" may not have been around all that long. Also the young lady in the picture is rather scantily clad. any chance to learn more about the 35j in your avatar?
"Does anyone have more info/pics of this car? I'd love to find out more abour it and get a better look at the shape of the tail. It looks a good bit like the "Baby Chevrolet", but there are differences." Mac, The Driver is Sig Haugdahl. It is not the baby Chevrolet. Bob Lawrence lists it as a Frontenac. http://winfield.50megs.com/Sig_Haugdahl_cars.htm
Thanks for the quick repsonse! Would anyone happen to more pictures, especially of the profile of the body? If it's on the site you added Buildy, I apologize... can't open it at school... must be a dangerous website
One thing is sure,we could have one heck of a discussion just trying to unravel the previous histories of all the cars Haugdahl ended up with!
Just FYI, I live in Jax and there isn't any beach by that name here. Google shows it 1200 miles north, in Maine, which probably also narrows down the time of year of that race...
Yes. You are correct. THANKS. Old Orchard Beach is in Maine. CORRECTION. The first races at Old Orchard Beach were in 1910 but the first International race was held in September 1911. This is the race i mentioned a Mercer being present. The Jacksonville, Florida race i referred to was the 1911 Atlantic-Pablo feature race and looking at the records doesn't list a Mercer there. Sorry for any confusion.
Bernd Rosmeyer - Auto Union Im guessing on this one as iv'e not seen it before, but it looks like Shelsley and i would say Hans Stuck returning down the hill 1939. Auto Union C type . .
Been a bit of an Auto Union day here's a few more i found on the net..... not sure if this is genuine of has been photo-shoped. Paddock Note the sponsors logo Rosemeyer again . .
Very appropriate, as yesterday was the 72nd anniversary of Rosemeyer's fatal crash on the Frankfort-Darmstadt Autobahn. RIP Bernd --
Guys, Thanks again for the pics of the Fronty! Here's a drawing I found of some of the Auto Union cars:
Could this be Spencer Wisehart? Were race car numbers carried for the full year or did they change race to race back in those days? I have two MERCER photos from the Elgin National Stock Chassis Races in a scrapbook of magazine cutouts, #15 Hugh Hughes and #12 driven by W.F.Barnes Jr. Welcome to the HAMB T-Head!
Welcome THead- I have seen your posts over on the AACA forum-pretty good stuff. This is definitely not Spencer Wishart Bob. He had a thin face with light colored hair. I would post a picture but my computer is a pretty sick puppy right now (three days of an IT guy trying to rebuild my computer after what he said was the worst trojan horse virus he has fought). After looking through my photos the only guy with the shape of this face may be Washington A Roebling II who placed second in the Savannah Challenge Trophy Race on November 11, 1910. My photo though shows him with a leather helmet so it is hard to see if the hair matches. The car though carried the #33 on the hood so my stab in the dark could be way off. It is also does not appear to be Bigelow or Sherwood or Hughes or Pullen. I am sure there are probably a few drivers that sadly never even made the press; he may fit in that category. As to the BlueBird Mercer, that is a very interesting story that I hope leads somewhere. Pretty neat looking car.-Jim
T-Head I have run across the picture of the #9 car before. I thought it was in an old magazine but cannot be sure. Like many old racers it had some "modifications". Not sure about it matching the Bluebird though. From the looks of it the tail of the bluebird appears to drop off somewhat similar to this Chalmers. There may have been a Hudson with a sloping tail like this I believe. And by the way note the Chalmers is on the beach in Jacksonville. Maybe this is the long forgotten Jacksonville tail.-Jim
RE: photo posted by T-Head. Here is a list of all the Mercer cars and drivers racing from 1910 to 1913 to see if we can nail down the name of the gentleman in the drivers seat. There isn't a need to list after 1914 due to the fact the car in the photo is obviously a raceabout, nor is there any need to list after 1912 but i added those two years for interest. I checked the Elgin photos but didn't find anyone matching the discription in T-Head's photo. If i was a betting man i'd put a buck on W.H.Frey or E.H.Sherwood from the 1911 Indy 500. I initially thought of William Barnes who wore the #17 in the 1911 Illinois Trophy race but i've since checked that too. 1910: Leon Shettler Trophy. Santa Monica,CA. {230-300ci} #2 or started 2nd??= Charles Bigelow - retired 1910: Savannah Challenge Trophy. Savannah, GA. #33 = Washington Roebling. 1911: Indy 500. #36 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 2nd. #37 = Charles Bigelow. Finished 15th. **W.H.Frey & E.H.Sherwood were the relief drivers. 1911: Santa Monica Free for all race. #9 = Harris Hanshue. Retired. 1911: Vanderbilt Cup. #6 = Hughie Hughes. 1911: Savannah Challenge Trophy. #22 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 1st. #24 = William Barnes. Flagged on the last lap running in 4th. #27 = William 'Billy' Knipper. DNF. 1911: Illinois Trophy. Elgin, Ill. {231 to 300ci} #15 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 1st. #17 = William Barnes. Finished 2nd. 1911: Jepson Trophy. {231 to 300ci} #9 = Harris Hanshue. Finished 3rd. 1912: Santa Monica Medium Car. {stock chassis-231 to 300ci} #5 = Ralph DePalma. Finished 1st. #4 = Rupert Jeffkins. Retired. 1912: Indy 500. #21 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 3rd. 1912: Elgin National Trophy. Elgin, Il. #14 = Spencer Wishart. Retired. #15 = Hughie Hughes. Retired. {also raced in the 'Free for all' race.} 1912: Vanderbilt Cup. #23 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 2nd. #21 = Eddie Pullen. D.N.Q. 1912: American Grand Prize. #?? = Hughie Hughes. DNF. 1912: Aurora Trophy. Elgin, Il. {limited to 300ci} #36 = Hughie Hughes. Finished 1st. #31 = Eddie Pullen. Finished 2nd. #35 = Spencer Wishart. Retired. 1912: Pabst Trophy. Milwaukee, WI. {non stock chassis-231 to 300ci} #19 = Hughie Hughes. Retired. 1913:***** Ferris Trophy. Santa Monica, CA. {stock chassis-limited to 600ci} #3 = Barney Oldfield. Finished 2nd. #15 = Louis Nikrent. Finished 3rd. #1 = Gaston Morris. Retired. 1913: Elgin National Trophy. Elgin, Il. #4 = Spencer Wishart. Finished 3rd. #14 = Ralph DePalma. Finished 5th. 1913: Chicago Auto Club Trophy. Elgin, Il. {231 to 300ci} #21 = Ralph DePalma. Finished 1st. #23 = Spencer Wishart. Retired. #27 = Charles Luttrell. Retired.
T-head-Thank You! I had not seen the excellent photo Of Wishart in the Mercer. Also,thanks Kurtis for the list of results. Keep posting that Mercer stuff guys! Checking Champ car stats there is also a Clarence Kittrell listed as entered a Mercer relief driver at Indy 1911 for car #36. He did not drive relief in the race,though. All photos of racing Mercers are welcome to me.
Mercer #22 At Brighton Beach driven by Hughes, #2 is Foster in a Correjk. Photo #2 Mercer at Brighton Beach in 1911 driven by Hughes. These captions and photos are the Detroit Libraries.
T-Head, Here's another pic of Eddie Pullen, most probably of his victory at the 1914 American GP. The body looks similar to the #9 you posted earlier.
The Jalopy Journal
